Fence-post.



B. ANDERSON.

FENCE POST. I APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2!. 1916.

Patented July 24, 1917.

' against the strains to which it BROOKE ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FENCE-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24l, I911.

Application filed February 21, 1916. Serial No. 79,528.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BROOKE ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates especially to metallic fence posts and has for its object the provision of a post which shall more efliciently secure the fencing attached to it is subjected, which shall be more easily handled in the erection of fencing and which shall be cheaper in construction and more eflicient in operation than posts heretofore made. Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described more in detail.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accom anying drawing and described in the ollowing specification'and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one form of fence post embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line '22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. I

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary sectional views showing in detail the method of securing fencing to the post.

Fig. 8 is a perspective; and,

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of an especially designed staple used for securing fencing to the post.

- not SllfilClGIlt to In the erection of wire fencing where wood or concrete posts areused a great amount of exhaustive labor is necessary for the digging of holes in which the posts are set. In the present invention steel posts are used, the cross-diagonal area of which is so small that the post can be driven into the ground without the necessity of previously digging a hole. Where posts of this kind are used however, the lateral area ef the post proper supported by the ground is resist the strains to which the fence may be subjected. It is, therefore, necessary to provide additlonal anchorage devices to sustain the post against lateral.

strain. In posts of this general character previously constructed, difficulty has been experienced in locating the anchorage device relative to the post itself and to the attaching means for the fence so that the strain upon the fence wire would be properly balanced and overcome by the anchor of the fencing to a flat web of the post to which it may be most easily secured when the especial attaching means embodying a part of this invention is used for that purpose.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the numeral 10 designates generally a fence post composed in this in stance of an angle iron having two webs 11 I and 12 at right angles to one another. Both of the webs are beveled off aS shown at 13 to provide a sharpened point for the post to permit the same to be easily driven into the ground. The web 11 is provided with a series of holes 14: which are drilled. or punched through the web along the longitudinal axis thereof. The fence wire 15 constituting the fencing-supported by the post is secured to the post by means of the holes 14, in the manner illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 and which will be later explained. To hold the post from twisting in the ground and to withstand lateral strainsto which it is subjected, an anchor plate 16 is secured to the post in a position spaced a short distance from the lower end thereof, but located a considerable distance below the ground line. This plate is preferably triangular in shape with its pointed end 17 directed downwardly and the plate itself is so located relative to the web 11 of the post that the lateral surfaces thereof are equally distributed on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the web 11. This brings the central axis of the anchor plate 16 in position to coincide with the axis of the web 11, thus properly locating the anchor relative to the strain imposed upon the post and the fencing attached thereto to prevent twisting of the post in the ground and to I form of the invention, the post in this case being made of T-iron instead of 'angle iron. In this form of invention the fencing is secured to the web 18 which forms the head of the T and the holes 19 in which the fastening devices are secured may be spaced in any suitable manner on opposite sides of the web 20 which constitutes the stem of the T. An

anchor plate 21 is provided which is in all respects similar to anchor plate 16 and which is secured to the web 18 in a position symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the web. In connection with Figs. 3 and 4 a circular disk 22 is shown havin a central opening 23 therein arranged to slide freely over the body of the post, as illustrated in Fig. 4:. While this disk is shownin connection with the form of post illustrated in Fig. 3, it should be understood that it can be used in connection with either form of the post whenever conditions make it neces-' sary. The object of the disk 22 is to counteract upward strain on the post and it is used where the fence dips into hollow places or where for any other reason the post is subjected to an upward strain. In the setting of posts to which the disk 22 is applied, it is necessary to dig'a hole in the ground equal to the diameter of the disk for a portion of the depth to which the post is sunk. The post is then driven into the center of the hole so dug until the top of the anchor plate 16 or 21 reaches the bottom of the hole provided. The plate 22 is then placed over the post and allowed to drop unt1l it rests on the top of the anchor plate 21 and the bottom of the hole provided. The earth is then filled into the hole andtamped in place, thus causing the plate 22 to form an anchor resisting any upward strain on the post.

When a post has been installed either with or without the anchor plate 22, it will be noted that the post will be held firmly from lateral strain at a point considerably below the ground line. The earth above theanchor plate forms a somewhat yielding cushion resisting lateral strain upon the post and in this way bending of the post at the ground line is prevented.

The fencing is attached to the posts by especially designed staples which may be made upon the ordinary stapling machines by especially arranged dies and which are As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the opening 19 into which the sta le is driven is of less dimension than the wldth of the head of the staple, so that when the staple is driven into the opening the points are gradually bent inwardly toward one another until they cross one another, as shown in Fig. 6 thus firmly securing the staple to the'post. The staple of course is first placed astride one of the strands 15 of the fencing and in this way the fencing is secured to the post against movement transversely of the fence line, but is freeto slide relative to the post longitudinally of the line of the fence. Because of this arrangement, no strain is brought upon the post in the direction of. the fenceline 1 and it is therefore not necessary to anchor the post especially against strain in this direction. This is the reason that the anchor plates 16 and 21 may be positioned directly in a plane parallel with the fence line. The openings through which the staples are drlven may be either oblong as shown at 19 in Figs. 3, 5. and 6 or circular as shown at 14 in Figs. 1 and 7, the result in either case would be substantially the same. In order that the inturned shanks of the staples may not strike one another when the staple is driven into the post, but may freely -pass to form a proper anchorage, the shank 23 is not only bent inwardly toward the shank 24, as shown in Fig. 15, but it is also bent laterally relative to the plane of the staple, as shown in Fig. 9. This gives the shank 23 a compound curve, as illustrated in the perspective shown in Fig. 8. It should be noted that the shank 24 of the staple is not bent, but is left straight as is the case in staples of the ordinary form used for being driven into wood. This is a very important feature in the manufacture of the staples since it is possible to make a staple having one straight shank and one curved shank on the ordinary staple forming machines simply by properly adjusting the dies. It is impossible however to do this where it is attempted to curve both shanks of the staple. By curving one instead of both shanks, the ease of manufacture of the staple is very much increased and consequently the cost of the staple is correspondingly diminished.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'of the United States is:

1. In combination a fence post comprising too . staple in said post. K

esa-ma the opening of said web member will be i said staple I?" I to bring said points near enough to one ancaused to cross one another to anchor said .2. In combination a metallic fence post having a web member provided with an openin therein,

means for securing fencing to sald post comprising a staple having the shanks thereof spaced apart at the head of a distance greater than-the diameter of said opening and having the point of one of said shanks bent inwardly toward the other of said shanks an amount suificient other to enter the opening in said web member, said inwardly bent point being also bent laterally relative to whereby said shanks when driven into said opening will cross one another to firmly anchor said staple in said opening and to hold a fence wire placed between said shanks from transverse movement relative to said post, but to ermit said wire to move longitudinally through said staple relative to said 0st. 7 p 3. A staple for securing fence wire having one straight shank and one curved shank, said curved shank being bent inwardly toward said straight shank and also being bent laterally relative to the plane of said staple. 4;. In combination a fence post comprising 5 an angle iron having two web members arranged at an angle to one another, means for having the point of its.

one of said web members arranged metrically relative to the longitudinal axis thereof, means cooperating with said-openings to secure fencing to said web member in the plane of said staple securing fencing against the fiat face of one of said web members, art-triangular anchor plate secured to ing the pointed end thereof directed down-' wardly and one edge off said trian lar' plate extending in a horizontal direction, and a second anchor plate having an opening therein arranged to said'plate to rest upon the edge of sa1dtriangular anchor plate which extends in a horizontal direction, 7 l

5. In combination a fence postcomprising an angle iron having web members extending said web mm or and hav-,

fit over said post to permit longitudinally thereof and arranged at an angle to one another, a series of openings in y a manner to permit longitudinal movement of said fencing relative to said post, a triangular anchor plate secured to said web member below the round line of said post with its pointed en extending downwardly and with the upper edge thereof lying in a horizontal direction, the lateral faces of said plateextending equally on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of said web member, and a second anchor plate having an opening there'n arranged tofitover said post to permit said plate to rest upon the horlzontal upper edge of said triangular plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribin witnesses, on this 17th day of February, A. 1916.. BROOKE ANDERSON. Witnesses; 1

CHARLES H. SEEM,

A. lCnAnn. 

